Bunny Love
by naomi-chan
Summary: Ichigo always wondered why Rukia was so obsessed with bunnies. When he asked, she only told him that he'll find out when he's ready. She then reflected on the day that started her love for bunnies. One shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach unfortunately -.-

This is a story suggesting why Rukia loves bunnies so much. I had the idea for this story for a while now, and I've finally gotten around to writing it. I hope you all enjoy and reviews would be much appreciated :)

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Bunny Love 

Ichigo went into his room after taking a shower and looked at his closet door. It was closed.

"Rukia, I'm going to bed now, see you tomorrow," he called out as he pulled the sheets down the bed.

The tiny shinigami quickly opened the door. "Hold on, Ichigo. I wanna show you something first."

The orange-haired boy walked over to his closet in which Rukia was inhabiting. "What is it-" His eyes got wide as he saw what Rukia was showing him. "What do you think?" she asked, obviously pleased with herself.

"Wh-what the hell, Rukia?!" he yelled and pointed.

Her face fell. "You don't like it?"

"Oh yeah, I just love having bunnies drawn all over my closet wall.. what the hell do you think you're doing?!!" he yelled.

"This closet is so small and drab, there's nothing interesting about it," she said matter-of-factly. "Since this is my living space I decided to make it as cozy and inviting as possible."

Ichigo's left eye twitched. "Since my closet is not "interesting" and "inviting" enough, seeing as it's a closet and all, why don't you find _another_ living space?"

She crossed her arms and shook her head. "You have no appreciation for fine art."

"Fine art? Where?"

Ichigo didn't see anything else before his face was on the floor, her foot digging his head in.

After Rukia had calmed down and Ichigo had washed his face, he asked her a question that surprised her.

"Hey Rukia, how come you're so obsessed with bunnies anyway?"

At first, she didn't know how to answer. Then, she responded with, "I'll tell you one day when you're ready to hear it."

He shrugged tiredly and climbed into bed. "Whatever. 'Night, Rukia."

"Good night, Ichigo." She closed the closet door and laid there in thought. She then reached under her pillow and took out a bunny doll. The bunny was white and had on a pink dress with a pink bow on it's left ear. She hugged it to her chest and thought back to the time when she had received it.

----Flashback----

Rukia walked through the hallway of Shinigami School wishing that she could disappear. All of the passing students whispered to their friends and stared at her. She held her notebooks tightly to her chest and looked down to avoid their glares. When she got to class, however, she was not spared from hearing the gossip from other classmates, especially one group in particular that was sitting behind her.

"Look, it's that girl who got adopted into the Kuchiki family," a girl whispered loudly.

"That's one of the noble families, right?" Another girl asked.

"Yeah," the third one said. "What makes her so special?"

"It's not fair," the first one scoffed. "People like us have to work hard and prove ourselves, and she will just get everything she wants, whether she deserves it or not."

Luckily for Rukia, the teacher came in shortly after that, and their gossip had to come to an end.

Later on that day, Rukia walked onto the huge estate known as "The Kuchiki Mansion." She still couldn't get used to the size of that place. Previously coming from the poor side of Rukongai, any kind of shelter was considered good living. She still had to convince herself that this was not a dream. She walked in, not really wanting to talk to anyone. She was just worn out and upset about what had taken place at school.

Luckily, she was able to dodge the housekeepers and gardeners and made it to her room. It was huge, with a canopy bed in one corner, a huge walk-in closet already filled with clothes girls her age would die for, a plasma television in the wall, and a huge balcony overlooking the backyard garden. The room was color-coordinated a pretty lavender. Rukia loved her room but she loved the balcony most of all, where she would sit out there and think about things while looking at the spectacular view.

She sat down on a chair on the balcony and looked at the garden. She no longer felt the urge to cry but she still felt let down. 'It's like nothing I do will ever be taken seriously. No matter what I do, I'll never be seen as 'Rukia.' I'll only be seen as heir to the Kuchiki fortune. It's not fair, it's not like I asked for this' She rested her chin on the railing. 'It was hard before, but at least I felt like I knew who I was. Now living this life I have no idea'

Looking at the red roses below made her think of Renji. 'Renji and I don't even talk anymore. We used to be so close but now whenever we see each other, the conversation is always strained, just polite banter. It's as if we're strangers-'

She was interrupted from her thoughts when a knock came from her door. She sat up straight and turned around to face the room. "Come in."

The door opened and one of the housekeepers came in. "Hello Kuchiki Rukia-sama."

"Hello," Rukia shifted, not feeling at all comfortable with being regarded so highly.

"This is for you," she handed Rukia a package wrapped in pale pink paper designed with sakura petals.

Her eyes opened wide. "A gift... for me?"

"Yes, a gift from Kuchiki Byakuya-sama."

Rukia's eyes couldn't possibly open any wider. "From... Nii-sama?" Her voice was barely audible.

"Yes, he thought you might like it," The housekeeper started to exit the room. "I'll see you tonight at dinner Kuchiki Rukia-sama." She bowed, and then left.

Rukia was frozen in that spot. She still couldn't believe- a gift, from Nii-sama?! Impossible! It wasn't even her birthday yet or anything. 'What could it possibly be?' she wondered, hesitating to open the package in her hands. She hadn't known Kuchiki Byakuya for very long, but she had quickly learned one thing about him that she pretty much got from the first day she met him. He was a cold man who was usually at his desk working as taichou of the sixth division. She couldn't even recall having a conversation with him and she could even less recall a time when they were face to face. She couldn't even remember him ever giving her eye contact. She briefly wondered what it would be like to work under him in the sixth division. It would be weird, but not as weird as imagining Renji working as his subordinate. That thought just came to her and brought a smile to her lips. Those two would never get along. She chuckled a little bit.

'Okay, time to open the gift' She slowly and carefully pulled apart the wrapping, as if trying to preserve it. She then opened the box and could not believe what she saw.

Inside the box was a bunny doll. It was white with a pink dress with a pink bow on it's left ear.

She never thought she would have gotten a gift like this but she immediately fell in love with it at first sight. All of the sadness she was feeling earlier was gone in an instant.

She held it to her close and closed her eyes. A tear escaped from her eye as she whispered, "Thank you, Nii-sama."

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In his office, Byakuya put down his pen and put his chin in his clasped hands in thought. 'I hope Rukia likes her gift; Hisana used to love those things. She's been quite sad lately, hopefully this will make her feel better' Something told him that he was probably right.

He then picked up the pen and continued to write.

-------End Flashback-------

Rukia cuddled her bunny and closed her eyes.

'Yeah, one day I'll tell you Ichigo, when you're ready'

She then fell asleep.

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I hope you all like -gives free pocky to all the reviewers- 


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